Page 106 of Conjure

“You say you care about me.Care…” He attempts a small smile, even as his throat jumps. He straightens up. “Meanwhile, I love you. Don’t you get it? I love you! The word ‘care’ doesn’t exist in my fucking vocabulary. You’re it for me.”

My heart gallops at his admission, and I reach for him. He’s it for me, too. I never thought I would hear Dominic say those words. Never thought he felt the same way.

He stumbles back another step, eyes flashing with hurt. “The thought of something happening to you eats me up from the inside. So when I don’t hear from you, when there’s a demon out there that wants to hurt you, yes…I lose my shit.”

This time when he backs away, shame eats me up from the inside.

“But all along, you simply didn’twantto reassure me that you were safe. You say you care, but you don’t. You don’t care about me. About us. Why the fuck am I wasting my time?”

“Dominic…” I try, chest tightening, but he turns around and walks out.

Soon after, the door to his room slams shut, and I hang my head. Why do I always mess everything up?

I hurry after him, trying his door handle, but it’s locked. “Dominic?” I knock quickly. “I’m sorry, okay?”

I knock again, but it’s radio silence on the other side. “Please… I was scared. Dom?”

Silence.

I blink back tears, wishing he would let me in so I could explain. I don’t dare tell him that I love him. Not yet. Not while we’re in danger. The thought of losing him cuts like a knife.

“Please let me in, Dom.” I wait, but the door remains closed. Dominic is done with me. I could bang on his door all night, but it wouldn’t make a difference. He won’t listen to me until he has calmed down. At least, I hope he’ll be willing to hear me out.

I bite back a sob and return to my room.

Once the door is closed, I sweep my eyes around the space. Dominic’s scent lingers in the air. I stare at the bed, where he was seated when I arrived home. I already miss him.

Crawling into bed, fully clothed, I cuddle up with Bruno. My sheets still smell of Dominic—leather and citrus—and I breathe in his masculine, comforting scent as I drift off to sleep.

THIRTY-ONE

DOMINIC

“Dominic…”

The sinister hiss stirs me awake.

I blink my eyes open and sit up in bed. A sense of unease ripples through me as I scan every corner of the room. One of the windows is open, and the curtain shifts in a gentle breeze.

Something moves beneath the quilt, causing me to stiffen. “What the fuck?” I whisper.

It starts at my feet and crawls up my legs, getting closer and closer. I stare at it for a beat before panic sets in, and I rip off the quilt, but there’s nothing there. I swear something or someone was moving beneath the blanket and up my body, like a cold breath against my bare legs.

Something is observing me. Eyes follow me as I skate my gaze across the room. Childish giggles echo in the silence, followed by bare feet running across the floorboards.

It’s too dark to see, so I reach over to switch on the bedside light then ease back, swallowing hard as the temperature drops.

“Dominic…”a voice whispers near my ear, making me scramble off the bed and tumble to the floor with a hard thud.What the fuck was that?My heart pounds as I stare at the emptybed and the crumpled sheets. I swear someone brushed their icy lips against the shell of my ear.

Unsteady, I escape into the dark hall. Elongating shadows on the walls seem to chase me as I turn to the left, a sheen of sweat covering my bare back. I steal a glance behind me before turning and running down the stairs. Suddenly, I stop short, out of breath, as I notice light streaming through the gap in the kitchen door. Inching closer, I nudge it open, the hinges creaking as the wilting flowers on the table come into view. I peer inside, lingering at the threshold, when Camryn appears in the doorway.

I stagger back. “Jesus, you scared me.”

She holds on to the door and licks her upper lip, eyeing me with a flirtatious look. “Hi, Dom.”

No matter how upset I am, my dick hardens when her eyes trail a slow path down my body and then back up. There’s nothing innocent about how her gaze lingers on my bare chest, or how she cocks her head to the side and lets a seductive smirk dance across her enticing lips.

Fuck me. I’m screwed.